Thug kills police officer, injures 2, flees to Kenya

By Samson Chacha

27th May 2012

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A police detective sergeant, Bernardo Mashauri (45) had died following a knife attack on the chest while his two colleagues were injured in the same attack and admitted to hospital, while the assailant escaped by crossing the border to neighbouring Kurya district in Kenya.

The two others, G 9509 PC Yohana and G 9858 PC Bakari and the deceased were in the process of arresting a local resident, Mwita Nyahure of Kanisani area in Tarime, sought for threatening to kill another person.

Narrating the incident to reporters in his office, Tarime special one police zone commander, ACP Justus Kamugisha lamented the incident as having cost the life of a police officer, saying it occurred at around 8.30 in the morning yesterday at the Sirari border post urban settlement,

The police sought to arrest the suspect on the strength of criminal case no SIR/IR/669/2012 where Nyahure is said to have threatened to kill one Bilali by a machete. The officers found Nyahure, ordered him to go with them to the police post, which he refused, drew out a knife and started attacking the officers.

This is the third incident in one year where a police officer has died in similar circumstances in the township. PC Aron was killed by a knife plunged into the stomach in a local militia office, when police went to collect theft suspects at the market area, and in another incident a police officer was shot dead when robbers raided a bar, with police suspecting that the robbers came from the other side of the border.

Residents of the township have been urging the police to conduct a search for illegal immigrants, saying there are more than 5,000 illegal immigrants in the township and surrounding areas, also suspecting that the conduct of most were criminal, including periodic knifing and shooting of police officers.